The present invention relates to a camera capable of changing over an image size, and more particularly to a data imprinting device in a camera in which a photographing image size can be changed over.
Conventionally, various types of data imprinting devices for cameras have been proposed. For instance, Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 210547/1991 discloses a technical means in which a light source for data imprinting, a condenser lens, a transmission displaying body, and an image-forming lens are arranged in an upper portion of a main body of the camera so as to make the camera slim.
Also, Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 3-210547 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,245,373 to Ogawa et al.) discloses a camera in which a half-size and a full size are switchable. An optical system is switched over in cooperation of a switching operation of photographic image surface size and a size of data to be imprinted onto the film is changed for the switched imaged surface size. Also, this publication shows a data imprinting device having dot type LEDs disposed vertical to the film supply direction in the vicinity of the film supply surface. The LEDs are controlled to light in synchronism with the film supply.
Also, a data imprinting device for a trimming information recording camera is disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 103625/1987 which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 4,860,039, U.S. Pat. No. 4,926,203 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,057,857 all to Hata et al. The data imprinting device is arranged such that, in a camera capable of trimming photography, an imprinting section corresponding to a trimming is selected from a plurality of data imprinting sections according to the presence or absence of the trimming, and the position and size of data are changed.
However, in the structure disclosed in the above-described Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 27823/1988, the imprinted position is always kept constant, and hence it would be difficult to apply this system to a photographic image surface switching type camera.
On the other hand, in the structure shown in the above-described Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication, since the image focusing system is moved relative to the data producing section, a very high precision positioning system is needed for maintaining the image forming relation, which requires high costs. Also, the data imprinting device has to be disposed between an aperture portion for exposure and a film cartridge chamber or between the aperture portion and a spool chamber. This would enlarge a size of the camera.
Furthermore, the structure shown in the above-described Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 62-103625 needs a plurality of data imprinting devices, which would increase costs and enlarge the imprinting system itself.